Chief product officer to innovation engineer
A chief product officer already meets 19% of what the innovation engineer role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.
80.1/ 100
1 How much of what an innovation engineer is expected to do is already part of a chief product officer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the innovation engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An innovation engineer role treats 5 of its required skills as things a chief product officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- develop new products
- develop product design
- integrate new products in manufacturing
- keep updated on innovations in various business fields
- perform product planning
What stands in the way is 20 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An innovation engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a chief product officer background worth leading with.
- already held develop new products communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held keep updated on innovations in various business fields information skills
- already held perform product planning management skills
- already held plan product management management skills
- already held develop product design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held integrate new products in manufacturing communication, collaboration and creativity
All 6 carried skills, including the 5 the innovation engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn implement procurement of innovation required
- still to learn innovate in ICT required
- still to learn promote innovative infrastructure design required
- still to learn advise on patents required
- still to learn identify technological needs required
- still to learn prepare production prototypes required
- still to learn provide technical expertise required
- optional, not held consult with industry professionals optional
- optional, not held describe chemical innovation in products optional
- optional, not held develop design ideas cooperatively optional
- optional, not held promote the transfer of knowledge optional
- still to learn define technology strategy required
- still to learn lead technology development of an organisation required
- still to learn identify potential markets for companies required
- still to learn plan engineering activities required
- optional, not held develop business plans optional
- optional, not held identify new business opportunities optional
- optional, not held manage research and development projects optional
- still to learn automation technology required
- still to learn computer technology required
- still to learn emergent technologies required
- still to learn apply for patents required
- still to learn monitor technology trends required
- still to learn promote open innovation in research required
- still to learn innovation processes required
- still to learn patents required
- still to learn industrial design required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an innovation engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 define technology strategy practise this
- 02 implement procurement of innovation practise this
- 03 innovate in ICT practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 6 skills that carry over
- already held develop new products skill
- already held develop product design skill
- already held integrate new products in manufacturing skill
- already held keep updated on innovations in various business fields skill
- already held perform product planning skill
- already held plan product management skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held social innovation optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held consult with industry professionals optional
- optional, not held describe chemical innovation in products optional
- optional, not held develop business plans optional
- optional, not held develop design ideas cooperatively optional
- optional, not held social innovation optional
- optional, not held identify new business opportunities optional
- optional, not held manage research and development projects optional
- optional, not held promote the transfer of knowledge optional
25 held skills the innovation engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role align efforts towards business development skill
- not needed by the target role blockchain knowledge
- not needed by the target role blockchain consensus mechanisms knowledge
- not needed by the target role business strategy concepts knowledge
- not needed by the target role characteristics of products knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate in the development of marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role collect briefing regarding products skill
- not needed by the target role develop company strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop product policies skill
- not needed by the target role develop the product catalogue skill
- not needed by the target role draw up marketing and sales plan skill
- not needed by the target role execute marketing plan skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic management skill
- not needed by the target role integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy skill
- not needed by the target role interact with the board of directors skill
- not needed by the target role keep up to date on product knowledge skill
- not needed by the target role lead managers of company departments skill
- not needed by the target role lead the brand strategic planning process skill
- not needed by the target role marketing management knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor proper product handling skill
- not needed by the target role plan marketing strategy skill
- not needed by the target role product comprehension knowledge
- not needed by the target role product data management knowledge
- not needed by the target role product packaging requirements knowledge
- not needed by the target role research and development in textiles knowledge
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn innovation processes required
- still to learn automation technology required
- still to learn computer technology required
- still to learn emergent technologies required
- still to learn industrial design required
- still to learn patents required
- optional, not held social innovation optional
Other moves recorded from chief product officer
Common questions about this move
Can a chief product officer become an innovation engineer?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A chief product officer already covers 19% of what an innovation engineer is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 5 of which the innovation engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a chief product officer need to become an innovation engineer?
20 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is define technology strategy.
How hard is the move from chief product officer to innovation engineer?
Its learning distance is 80.1 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.